DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval before taking military action against President Bashar Assad's regime is being met with gloating, despair and indifference in Syria.More >>

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval before taking military action against President Bashar Assad's regime is being met with gloating, despair and indifference in Syria.More >>

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The top U.N. spokesman says the secretary-general has asked the head of the U.N. chemical weapons inspection team to expedite the analysis of tests from samples collected from Syria.More >>

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The top U.N. spokesman says the secretary-general has asked the head of the U.N. chemical weapons inspection team to expedite the analysis of tests from samples collected from Syria.More >>

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is urging President Barack Obama not to rush into any decision on striking Syria.More >>

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is urging President Barack Obama not to rush into any decision on striking Syria, but to consider whether strikes would help end the violence and be worth the likely civilian casualties.More >>

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House has sent Congress a draft of a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to use military force against Syria.

The draft follows through on Obama's decision, announced Saturday, to seek congressional approval for a strike against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

The resolution lays out the administration's claim that Assad's regime killed more than 1,000 last week in a chemical weapons attack. It says the objective of a U.S. military response would be to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade" the regime's ability to use chemical weapons going forward.

The resolution authorizes Obama to use the military as he determines "necessary and appropriate" to serve that goal.

The draft doesn't lay out a timeline for action. But it does say only a political settlement can resolve the Syrian crisis.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Senior administration officials say President Barack Obama had planned to take military action against Syria without congressional authorization, but told aides Friday night that he had changed his mind.

Obama announced Saturday that he wanted to launch a military strike, but would first seek lawmakers' approval.

The officials describe a president overriding all his top national security advisers, who believe consulting with Congress was sufficient.

The officials say Obama spent the week wrestling with Congress' role and made the decision Friday after a lengthy discussion with his chief of staff, Denis McDonough. They say Obama decided seeking approval would make the U.S. stronger even though he still believes he has the authority to act alone.

The administration officials requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss Obama's decision-making by name.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he has decided that the United States should take military action against Syria in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack.

But he says he will seek congressional authorization for the use of force.

He says congressional leadership plans to hold a debate and a vote as soon as Congress comes back in September.

Obama says he has the authority to act on his own, but believes it is important for the country to have a debate.

Military action would be in response to a chemical weapons attack the U.S. says Syrian President Bashar Assad's government carried out against civilians. The U.S. says more than 1,400 Syrians were killed in that attack last week.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says President Barack Obama is getting ready to speak about Syria from the White House.

Obama has been considering a limited military strike against Syria, but he said Friday that he hadn't yet made a decision.

The strike would be in response to a chemical weapons attack the U.S. says Syrian President Bashar Assad's government carried out against Syrians. The U.S. says more than 1,400 Syrians were killed in that attack last week.

The White House is also briefing senators Saturday about Syria.

Obama's statement is set for 1:15 p.m. EDT Saturday.

UN: Syria attack timing idea 'grotesque'

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The top U.N. spokesman says any notion that the departure of the U.N. chemical weapons inspection team from Syria opens a window for a U.S. attack is "grotesque."

Spokesman Martin Nesirky notes that about 1,000 international and U.N. staff remain in Syria, and the United Nations is just as concerned about their welfare as it is about its team of inspectors. He also says the Syrian population would be vulnerable to harm.

Nesirky says Ban will be briefed further by the head of the UN chemical weapons team Sunday. The team is in Europe and will have to analyze the evidence in laboratories before making their report.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's national security team is preparing to brief senators on Syria as the White House readies for a possible military strike.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and other officials arrived Saturday morning at the White House.

In the afternoon, senior officials plan to consult by phone with Senate Democrats and Republicans. The calls will be unclassified, meaning officials will be limited in what they can say.

Secretary of State John Kerry, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, also will participate.

The briefing comes a day after the administration released an intelligence report concluding that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government killed more than 1,400 last week in a chemical attack.

Obama says the U.S. is considering a limited strike in response.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - As the U.S. edges toward a possible punitive military strike against Syria, residents of Damascus are stocking up on food and other necessities with no evident sign of panic.

President Barack Obama said on Friday he's weighing "limited and narrow" action, accusing Bashar Assad's government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people -- far more than previous estimates -- including more than 400 children.

The White House will brief Republican senators in a conference call Saturday at the request of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.

The Syrian government says the administration claims are "flagrant lies" akin to faulty Bush administration assertions before the Iraq invasion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. A Foreign Ministry statement read on state TV said that "under the pretext of protecting the Syrian people, they are making a case for an aggression that will kill hundreds of innocent Syrian civilians."

One resident of Damascus says he's "not afraid from the Western threats to Syria." He says "they created the chemical issue as a pretext for intervention, and they are trying to hit Syria for the sake of Israel."

Obama said he has not yet made a final decision on a response to the suspected chemical attack. But he said it would not involve "boots on the ground."

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is looking to reassure Americans who may want to avoid additional military conflicts, after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says he's considering "limited and narrow" action against Syria -- but not a "boots-on-the-ground" approach. Obama told reporters that he has a strong preference for multilateral action. But France appears to be his only major ally for a possible strike on Syria.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he hasn't made a final decision about a military strike against Syria. But he says he's considering a limited and narrow action in response to a chemical weapons attack that he says Syria's government carried out last week.

Obama says that attack was a challenge to the world and threatens U.S. national security.

Obama's comment came after the U.S. released an intelligence assessment that found with "high confidence" that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government carried out a chemical weapons attack last week.

The U.S. says the attack killed more than 1,400 people.

Obama spoke before meeting at the White House with three Baltic leaders.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. knows based on intelligence that the Syrian regime carefully prepared for days to launch a chemical weapons attack.

Kerry says Syrian regime personnel were on the ground for three days beforehand, making preparations.

He says regime elements were told to prepare by putting on gas masks.

Kerry says the U.S. also knows where the rockets were launched from. He says the rockets came from regime-controlled areas.

Kerry also says a senior regime official confirmed that the weapons were used and was afraid it would be discovered.

The U.S. has released a public report on intelligence gathered about last week's deadly attack. President Barack Obama is preparing for a possible military strike in response.

Kerry: 1,429 killed in Syrian chemical attack

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry says the chemical attack this month in Syria killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.

Those numbers are significantly higher than what Syrian activists and aid workers have reported from Syria.

The death toll is contained in a declassified intelligence assessment released by the Obama administration at the same time Kerry was speaking about the Syrian attack.

The administration blames the Syrian regime for the deaths.

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NBCNEWS.COM - Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe President Barack Obama should receive congressional approval before using force in Syria, but the nation is divided over the scope of any potential strike, a new NBC News poll shows.

Fifty percent of Americans believe the United States should not intervene in the wake of suspected chemical weapons attacks by Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the poll.

But the public is more supportive of military action when it's limited to launching cruise missiles from U.S. naval ships - 50 percent favor that kind of intervention, while 44 percent oppose it.

The two-day survey was conducted as the Obama administration weighs launching strikes against Syria for the alleged use of chemicals weapons in its violent civil war, as well as amid growing demands by U.S. lawmakers that Congress should have a voice in any debate to authorize force.

On Thursday night, the Obama administration briefed congressional leaders in its effort to make the case for military intervention.

Also on Thursday, Britain's parliament rejected a motion urging an international response to the chemical weapons attacks blamed on the Syrian government. But White House officials told NBC News that the administration was prepared to go it alone. "As we've said, President Obama's decision-making will be guided by what is in the best interests of the United States," Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House and National Security Council, said in a statement.

In this new NBC poll, 50 percent of respondents oppose the United States taking military action in response to Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons, compared with 42 percent who support it. And 58 percent agree with the statement that the use of chemical weapons by any country violates a "red line" that requires a significant U.S. response, including the possibility of military action.

Still, a whopping 79 percent of respondents – including nearly seven-in-10 Democrats and 90 percent of Republicans – say the president should be required to receive congressional approval before taking any action.

The poll also finds that only 21 percent think taking action against the Syrian government is in the national interest of the United States. By comparison, 33 percent disagree and 45 percent don't know enough to have an opinion. And just 27 percent say that U.S. military force will improve the situation for Syrian civilians, versus 41 percent who say it won't.

The NBC poll also shows that President Obama's overall job-approval rating has dropped one point since last month to 44 percent, which is tied for his lowest mark in past NBC News/Wall Street Journal surveys.

He gets even lower marks on foreign policy: Just 41 percent approve of his handling of the issue – an all-time low. And only 35 percent approve of his handling of the situation in Syria.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a mailing mix up, a little girl in Washington, D.C. sent her letter asking pet supply store Petco asking for a hamster to Pepco, a D.C. utility company. Despite her minor mix up, her letter seemed to win over the power company. Cynthia McCabe, Pepco's Communications Director, tweeted that customer services representatives decided to make Serenity's wish come true and gave her a hamster anyway. What a lucky

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a mailing mix up, a little girl in Washington, D.C. sent her letter asking pet supply store Petco asking for a hamster to Pepco, a D.C. utility company. Despite her minor mix up, her letter seemed to win over the power company. Cynthia McCabe, Pepco's Communications Director, tweeted that customer services representatives decided to make Serenity's wish come true and gave her a hamster anyway. What a lucky

DENVER, Co. (AP) - A Colorado principal has retired and an athletic director has resigned after videos surfaced showing a high school cheerleading coach pushing cheerleaders down in splits. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg also on Friday released a report by a law firm that the district ordered after learning about the videos in August. Officials have said the school administrators saw at least one of the videos in June and

DENVER, Co. (AP) - A Colorado principal has retired and an athletic director has resigned after videos surfaced showing a high school cheerleading coach pushing cheerleaders down in splits. Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg also on Friday released a report by a law firm that the district ordered after learning about the videos in August. Officials have said the school administrators saw at least one of the videos in June and

In a media release from the Strahan family, they said: "The Strahan family invites the public to join them in a memorial service celebrating the life of their son Sam Strahan. The service starts at 2:00 pm in the University High School Gym. The family is so appreciative of the outpouring of love from so many people throughout this community. We hope everyone can join them for this celebration. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

In a media release from the Strahan family, they said: "The Strahan family invites the public to join them in a memorial service celebrating the life of their son Sam Strahan. The service starts at 2:00 pm in the University High School Gym. The family is so appreciative of the outpouring of love from so many people throughout this community. We hope everyone can join them for this celebration. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

(AP) - A federal judge has granted preliminary approval of a lawsuit settlement requiring Mercedes-Benz to replace seat heaters in up to 270,000 SUVs. Southern California-based Judge James Selna preliminarily approved the potentially $80 million settlement on Monday. The plaintiffs argue that seat heaters in some Mercedes-Benz SUVs made between 2000 and 2007 have been known to spark or smoke. A California woman who filed the lawsuit in 2014 said her seat heater burned a hole throug...

(AP) - A federal judge has granted preliminary approval of a lawsuit settlement requiring Mercedes-Benz to replace seat heaters in up to 270,000 SUVs. Southern California-based Judge James Selna preliminarily approved the potentially $80 million settlement on Monday. The plaintiffs argue that seat heaters in some Mercedes-Benz SUVs made between 2000 and 2007 have been known to spark or smoke. A California woman who filed the lawsuit in 2014 said her seat heater burned a hole throug...

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Is there going to be another addition to the Jenner-Kardashian clan? Several media outlets, including TMZ and People, are reporting Friday that 20-year-old Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the reality show family, is expecting a child with her boyfriend Travis Scott. Reps did not confirm the pregnancy, however, and did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment. (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Is there going to be another addition to the Jenner-Kardashian clan? Several media outlets, including TMZ and People, are reporting Friday that 20-year-old Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the reality show family, is expecting a child with her boyfriend Travis Scott. Reps did not confirm the pregnancy, however, and did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment. (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. NBC News - A semi-truck carrying pumpkins crashed early Friday morning in Florida, creating a charred pumpkin mess. The crash closed a portion of the southbound lanes of I-75 in Pasco County. Florida highway patrol investigators say around 4:30 this morning the truck driver was in the outside lane, and drove into a barrier at the exit ramp. The truck traveled southbound several hundred feet, before coming to rest and bursting into flames.

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. NBC News - A semi-truck carrying pumpkins crashed early Friday morning in Florida, creating a charred pumpkin mess. The crash closed a portion of the southbound lanes of I-75 in Pasco County. Florida highway patrol investigators say around 4:30 this morning the truck driver was in the outside lane, and drove into a barrier at the exit ramp. The truck traveled southbound several hundred feet, before coming to rest and bursting into flames.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. NBC - A WWII veteran finally received the medals he earned while serving in Europe more than seven decades ago. 94-year-old Roscoe Kerr, Junior joined the 28th Medical Depot Company when he was 19. He was in a crash and spent several months in the hospital before being discharged. For decades, he felt like he was never part of the greatest generation because he was never officially recognized. Kerr's son-in-law wrote to the Department of Defense to try and get his medals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. NBC - A WWII veteran finally received the medals he earned while serving in Europe more than seven decades ago. 94-year-old Roscoe Kerr, Junior joined the 28th Medical Depot Company when he was 19. He was in a crash and spent several months in the hospital before being discharged. For decades, he felt like he was never part of the greatest generation because he was never officially recognized. Kerr's son-in-law wrote to the Department of Defense to try and get his medals.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) - A Minneapolis City Council member has given one of her opponents something to chew over - a piece of chewed gum. Twenty-year incumbent Lisa Goodman took the gum out of her mouth and handed it to challenger Teqen Zea-Aida before the start of a candidate forum Tuesday. Goodman asked Zea-Aida: "Would you take my gum, please?" Goodman tells the Star Tribune she couldn't find any paper to get rid

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) - A Minneapolis City Council member has given one of her opponents something to chew over - a piece of chewed gum. Twenty-year incumbent Lisa Goodman took the gum out of her mouth and handed it to challenger Teqen Zea-Aida before the start of a candidate forum Tuesday. Goodman asked Zea-Aida: "Would you take my gum, please?" Goodman tells the Star Tribune she couldn't find any paper to get rid

COOLIN, Idaho - The Bonner County Sheriff's Office reports deputies were attempting to serve a felony arrest warrant on a man near the community of Coolin, Idaho. The man was armed an exhibited hostile behavior toward the deputies according the the sheriff's office, which led to the deputies firing upon the man. The man was injured and medical attention was rendered.

COOLIN, Idaho - The Bonner County Sheriff's Office reports deputies were attempting to serve a felony arrest warrant on a man near the community of Coolin, Idaho. The man was armed an exhibited hostile behavior toward the deputies according the the sheriff's office, which led to the deputies firing upon the man. The man was injured and medical attention was rendered.

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Regional Health District reports three people have been hospitalized with influenza in Spokane County this season. The SRHD says flu season typically runs from early October through the end of May. Additionally, the SRHD says since July, there have been 10 cases of pertussis in Spokane County.

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane Regional Health District reports three people have been hospitalized with influenza in Spokane County this season. The SRHD says flu season typically runs from early October through the end of May. Additionally, the SRHD says since July, there have been 10 cases of pertussis in Spokane County.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced that women will be allowed to drive for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom next summer, fulfilling a key demand of women's rights activists who faced detention for defying the ban.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced that women will be allowed to drive for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom next summer, fulfilling a key demand of women's rights activists who faced detention for defying the ban. The kingdom was the only the country in the world to bar women from driving and for years had garnered negative publicity internationally for detaining women who defied the ban.

SPOKANE, Wash. - One man has died following a motorcycle crash in north Spokane. The crash happened near the Walmart just north of the "Y." Details are limited at this time, but KHQ's Joe McHale is on scene confirming additional details. We will update this story when we know more.

SPOKANE, Wash. - One man has died following a motorcycle crash in north Spokane. The crash happened near the Walmart just north of the "Y." Details are limited at this time, but KHQ's Joe McHale is on scene confirming additional details. We will update this story when we know more.

BREAKING: Charges of fraud and corruption in NCAA basketball have been brought against 10 individuals including coaches. The FBI has arrested ten people, including four college basketball coaches, as well as managers, financial advisors, and representatives of a major international sportswear company in a fraud & corruption probe.

BREAKING: Charges of fraud and corruption in NCAA basketball have been brought against 10 individuals including coaches. The FBI has arrested ten people, including four college basketball coaches, as well as managers, financial advisors, and representatives of a major international sportswear company in a fraud & corruption probe.

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a double murder suspect and gang member who has been on the run since the killings in Tacoma. KOMO-TV reports (https://goo.gl/zLC2aN ) 26-year-old Santiago Villalba Mederos also was named this week to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of a double murder suspect and gang member who has been on the run since the killings in Tacoma. KOMO-TV reports (https://goo.gl/zLC2aN ) 26-year-old Santiago Villalba Mederos also was named this week to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) - Officials say a corrections officer was assaulted at the Washington State Penitentiary. The Union-Bulletin in Walla Walla reports (https://goo.gl/Mk3vyu ) prison spokeswoman Shari Hall said the officer was not seriously hurt in the Monday morning attack and has been treated and released.

WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) - Officials say a corrections officer was assaulted at the Washington State Penitentiary. The Union-Bulletin in Walla Walla reports (https://goo.gl/Mk3vyu ) prison spokeswoman Shari Hall said the officer was not seriously hurt in the Monday morning attack and has been treated and released.

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. (AP) - A new manufacturing plant in the city of Spokane Valley will employ 150 people to make engineered-wood products. Katerra, based in Menlo Park, California, plans to open the 250,000-square-foot factory early next year. The factory will produce cross-laminated timber and other engineered products that can replace concrete and steel in wooden high-rise buildings and parking garages.

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. (AP) - A new manufacturing plant in the city of Spokane Valley will employ 150 people to make engineered-wood products. Katerra, based in Menlo Park, California, plans to open the 250,000-square-foot factory early next year. The factory will produce cross-laminated timber and other engineered products that can replace concrete and steel in wooden high-rise buildings and parking garages.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - A 41-year-old Wyoming man has survived an encounter with a grizzly bear in which he was twice mauled but still managed to ride on horseback to rescuers. James Moore, of Rock Springs, was hunting about 10 a.m. Monday with two others in the Teton Wilderness in northwest Wyoming when a sow with two cubs attacked him.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - A 41-year-old Wyoming man has survived an encounter with a grizzly bear in which he was twice mauled but still managed to ride on horseback to rescuers. James Moore, of Rock Springs, was hunting about 10 a.m. Monday with two others in the Teton Wilderness in northwest Wyoming when a sow with two cubs attacked him.

KHQ.COM - Marie Tillman, the widow of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, says that her husband's service "should never be politicized in a way that divides us." Marie Tillman released a statement to CNN on Monday after President Donald Trump retweeted an account referencing Pat Tillman and using the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem.

KHQ.COM - Marie Tillman, the widow of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, says that her husband's service "should never be politicized in a way that divides us." Marie Tillman released a statement to CNN on Monday after President Donald Trump retweeted an account referencing Pat Tillman and using the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem.